Voting Absentee in the Hospital
Hospitalized voters may appoint an agent to pick up their ballot from the City Clerk’s Office if they are hospitalized in the 7 days before Election Day. The agent needs to bring the hospitalized voter’s photo ID to the Clerk’s Office. The hospitalized absentee voting process is available until 5:00 pm on Election Day. To obtain a ballot in the hospital, you can use this form:
Hospitalized Absentee Ballot Request
Return Completed Requests to:
City Clerk's Office
215 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Room 153
Madison, WI 53703
Call our office at (608) 266-4601 for any further questions.
Overview of the Process
The hospitalized voter may appoint anyone as their agent. The agent delivers the absentee request to the Clerk’s Office and presents both the agent’s ID and a copy of the voter’s ID to Clerk’s Office staff. If the voter needs to register or update their voter registration, the agent will bring a completed voter registration application and proof of the voter’s address to the Clerk’s Office.
The Clerk’s Office will issue an absentee ballot, absentee envelope, and instructions for the hospitalized voter. The agent delivers this packet of materials to the voter at the hospital.
The hospitalized voter may choose anyone who is not a candidate on the ballot to be their witness. The witness may be the voter’s agent. The voter shows the witness that the ballot is not marked, and then uses a blue or black ballpoint pen to mark the ballot in the presence of that witness. They should be far enough away from the witness that the candidates selected are not known to the witness.
The voter will fold the ballot and seal it in the absentee envelope in the presence of the witness. The voter will read the voter statement on the front of the absentee envelope, and will sign or make their mark on the envelope. The witness will read the witness certification statement, sign, and write their street address below their witness signature.
The agent will deliver the sealed absentee envelope to the Clerk’s Office. The Clerk’s Office sends all absentee ballots to the polls to be counted on Election Day. In order for an absentee ballot to count, it must be returned early enough that the Clerk’s Office receives it by Election Day. The absentee envelope must be sealed, and the voter’s signature, the witness signature, and the witness address must be present on the envelope.